What? I Don’t Need a Hearing Aid! One Patient’s Story

The other day I was sitting in my office hard at work when the phone rang. Jody, one of our audiologists, asked me to come down because her patient wanted to talk to me. The patient, James from Fox Point, wanted to thank me and tell me how much his new hearing aids have not only changed his life, but his family members’ lives as well.

Here is Jame’s story…

Everybody in my family had been after me for years. “Dad, you need a hearing aid” or “Lower the TV, it’s too loud.” I was convinced my wife was whispering from the kitchen just to make me crazy. I thought people were trying to speak softly just so I couldn’t hear them. Instead of accepting that I might be hard of hearing I was convinced everyone was out to make me feel old.

I finally decided to give in and I made an appointment to have my hearing checked – but not at The Hearing Professionals. The appointment lasted about 45 minutes and I thought I passed with flying colors until the audiologist showed me the results. Not only did I have a pretty bad hearing loss, but I was missing about half of the words being said. I was told that I needed two hearing aids and the cost would be around $8,500 (yes, I did hear that part correctly). Not only would I be an old geezer with a hearing aid, but I’d be an old geezer with TWO hearing aids. I said screw it, for $8,500 my family members can talk louder!

For two more years the complaints continued. People seemed to be whispering and I was missing out on a lot of what was being said. The worst part was that I was having problems understanding my grandchildren. I had to accept it. It was time and I had to do something about my hearing loss.

I knew a friend of mine head hearing aids and he really liked them. I called my friend and he told me about The Hearing Professionals and that I need to see ‘Jody’ because she’s a miracle worker. I made an appointment to see Jody and the results of the test were pretty much the same as two years ago. I still needed two hearing aids, but the ones Jody recommended were less than half the cost of the others. Sold!

A few days later I had another appointment with Jody and she fit these new haring aids. They were pretty small and blended in with my hair so it was hard to see that I had anything on. When I walked outside everything was louder. I got into the car and on the way home I heard something that I haven’t heard in a long time … the clicking sound of the turn signal. This was a good thing.

I’ve been wearing my new ears for about six months and they’ve made my life a whole lot easier. I no longer turn the television up so loud that people complain. My wife still talks to me from the kitchen. I don’t hear her perfectly, but I do hear her and can understand what she’s saying.

The best part is that I can now talk to my children and grandchildren without having to ask them to repeat what they’ve said or answer a question completely wrong. I can even use the telephone to talk to my older grandchildren who are off at college.

My hearing aids aren’t perfect, but neither is this old geezer. I will confess that I don’t seem to be as pissed off at the world as much as I used to and that the word WHAT is not used nearly as much. My friend was right … Jody is a miracle worker. I just wish I had her a few years earlier.

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About Adam Bernstein

Adam Bernstein is the owner of The Hearing Professionals, Milwaukee's premier hearing healthcare facility.
As the owner of The Hearing Professionals, Mr. Bernstein has over 20 years of experience in the hearing healthcare industry. He began his career in 1995 at GN Danavox, one of the largest hearing aid manufacturers in the world.
After leaving Danavox, Mr. Bernstein opened two hearing healthcare offices in Chicago, IL. In 2001 he moved to Milwaukee, WI and opened The Hearing Professionals. In 2008 he added a second Wisconsin office in the town of Brookfield. Today The Hearing Professionals is the largest private audiology practice in SE Wisconsin.
Mr. Bernstein has written numerous articles on hearing healthcare which has appeared in newspapers throughout the country and has been interviewed by news programs regarding advances in the hearing industry. Mr. Bernstein a member of Unitron’s Customer Advisory Board and a graduate of The University of Minnesota. You can email him at adam@icanhearthat.com and you can visit The Hearing Professionals at www.icanhearthat.com.